He is a very popular children’s author who has just passed away. As announced by his French publisher L’Ecole des Loisirs, the Japanese writer Kazuo Iwamura has died at the age of 85. An illustrator by training, he is particularly known for his series of albums The Mouse Family and was also the author of around twenty other books intended for young people. “His passing leaves a huge void in the world of illustration and children’s literature, but his work will continue to live on in the hearts of children and adults who had the chance to discover his stories,” wrote the French publishing house. We give you 3 good reasons to (re)immerse yourself with your toddlers in the work of the Japanese author.
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Refined designs
Before launching into children’s literature, Kazuo Iwamura tried his hand at design in a cosmetics company. He then devoted his talent for drawing entirely to his books: with its bucolic and green landscapes, its soft and harmonious colors, its extremely expressive characters, the author’s books all have a particular flavor. “It is in the middle of the woods that the settings and characters that populate his albums took shape, imbued with gentleness and tenderness,” can we read in the press release from the School of Leisure announcing his death. With his distinctive pencil style, Kazuo Iwamura’s books are recognizable at first glance.
The Leisure School
Adorable characters
The Japanese author was very attached to the animal world. And the heroes of his stories have almost every time been little beasts. His main work, The mouse family, tells the adventures of a family of adorable little rodents over the course of 15 albums. But Kazuo Iwamura drew dozens of other cute animals, like in The red applewhere a bear, a squirrel and a rabbit come to help a little girl who has just lost her fruit. Or like in his other series Nothing for the Night, which features a family of squirrels, or in My life as a frogwhich honors a small amphibian.
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Editions Mijade
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Touching and poetic stories
In Kazuo Iwamura’s albums, accessible from the age of 3, it is only about discoveries, an ode to nature, wonder and gentleness. The characters created by the Japanese designer move together, in harmony, and the notion of family unity is often very present. A reassuring atmosphere which makes the author’s books family works, to be read with all the siblings, from the youngest to the oldest. The last album written by Kazuo IwamuraFû, Hana and the dandelions, was released in 2016.
